I was supposed to fly to Sacramento today at 6.15am. went to bed early…
at 11pm, got a phone call from America West to tell me the flight is canceled (they didn’t tell me why…didn’t want to tell me why…guess is, not enough passengers…)…
then, I ask, when can I go…she says “there is a flight at 5.52pm”…
huh? I checked and there was a flight at 9am, there was one at noon, there was one at 2pm…they all had seats available…
so once again, we pay tickets up front, we of course, cannot cancel our tickets unless we pay outrageously expensive fares, but the airlines can decide to cancel a flight, without giving a reason, telling you at a fairly late time…then they wonder why they all go bankrupt…
And if you have your bike with you, they charge you extra, and when they drop it off the plane and run over it with a truck, they tell you, “Too bad, it’s oversize, we have no liability.”
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Try digging around for the fine print. I chatted with a lady a while ago who swears that the airlines have to pay you for late arrivals/cancelled flights. Said that you have to dig around for it, but they are required to give you x number of dollars for every hour they make you late, but they will give you a higher value in vouchers than cash. She was a little kooky (like most folks next to you on an airplane I suppose) but she claimed she hadn’t paid for a ticket in years (she has a flexible schedule and would purposely schedule flights for the busiest days/cities so she could take full advantage). I’m not sure I totally buy it, but it’s worth a couple of phone calls to find out. Their only out on this is supposedly weather/acts of god.
There are rules they’re supposed to follow. However, they won’t tell you what those rules are; you’re expected to get ahold of the airline contract of carriage on your own. Here’s a copy of AW’s
From section 240: TRANSPORTATION TO PASSENGERS DELAYED OR MISCONNECTED DUE TO SCHEDULE IRREGULARITIES OR CANCELLATION OF FLIGHTS OR SERVICE. A) IF THE DELAY OR MISCONNECTION IS CAUSED BY HP, HP WILL TRANSPORT THE PASSENGER WITHOUT STOPOVER ON ITS NEXT AVAILABLE FLIGHT IN THE SAME OR HIGHER CLASS OF SERVICE, AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO THE PASSENGER. IF HP IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ONWARD TRANSPORTATION TO THE PASSENGER, HP, WITH CONCURRENCE OF THE PASSENGER, WILL ARRANGE FOR THE TRANSPORTATION ON ANOTHER CARRIER OR COMBINATION OF CARRIERS WITH WHOM HP HAS AGREEMENTS FOR SUCH TRANSPORTATION. THE PASSENGER WILL BE TRANSPORTED WITHOUT STOPOVER ON ITS (THEIR) NEXT FLIGHT(S), IN THE SAME OR HIGHER CLASS OF SERVICE AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO THE PASSENGER. So according to their own rules, you’ve got every right to be on an earlier flight, even if the only remaining seating is first class. If the earlier flights are full, then you have the right to say “rebook me on another carrier” and they’re supposed to do it. A twelve hour delay is NOT acceptable. AW’s own rules say anything more than a 4 hour delay falls under their rebook rules. Signed, Someone who knows entierly too much about cancelled flights and alternate carriers considering how little she flies
The airlines do give you the ‘choice’ to pay full-fare, which means that your ticket is completely refundable but the much higher cost isn’t worth it.
I like to book my own travel for work, and it strikes me how different airline, hotel and rental car policies are:
Airlines: Pay up front. Economy fare means your tickets are non refundable. $100 charge for ticket changes PLUS difference in fare if the new fare is higher.
Hotel: Credit card needed to hold room, but not charged until checkout. Cancel without penalty the day of arrival. (This is changing with internet sites offering cheap rates if you pay in advance.)
Rental car: Just give your name to hold the reservation. They don’t even ask for a credit card up front.
francois
you need time share on an airplane. that way you pick up the phone and tell them when you want to leave and it magically appears at the excutive terminal.